She Wolf
by Arlia'Devi
Summary: During the reconstruction of Iron Town, Ashitaka finds himself thinking about San, in more ways than one. But with events of the past still fresh in the minds of many individuals, can such a relationship work between Ashitaka and San, or will pre-conceptualised prejudices tear them apart? A two-part short story set directly after the movie. Lemon. Complete.
1. I

_Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke in any respect; all rights go to Hayao Miyazaki and associates. I make no money from this._

**SHE WOLF**

**I.**

By Arlia'Devi

"_Ashitaka…_"

She smiled at him, kneeling in the middle of a large clearing full of blooming wildflowers. The sun shone down onto her, making her look celestial. Ashitaka felt his legs falter, and the burning in his feet dissipate. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all.

Her eyes, glittering with different shades of hazel, brown and green entranced him to come closer. Her smile beckoned him until he had sunk to his knees beside the white flowers that surrounded her. Her skin was golden under the sun. All she wore were the furs of her ancestors, soft and incredibly white, across her breast and lower section, feeling the bristles caress her skin.

Her hands moved to untie his robes and slowly he felt the gradual chill of the cool morning air on the skin of his chest and back and watched her with dazed eyes as she folded his clothes. Ashitaka swallowed. His mouth and throat were suddenly dry. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her and his mind swirled at the questions that remained unasked – what was she doing here? Did she want him? Could they ever have a life together? Did she know he loved her?

"You look like a goddess," he murmured as she smiled at him. 'A forest deity.'

"I am far from that," she laughed gently, her eyes bright and her demeanour carefree. There seemed nothing better to do on the sunny afternoon than lie against the wildflowers and make love.

"You're beautiful."

San took in a breath, 'Ashitaka…,"

"Ashitaka!"

The youth grunted into consciousness, darting to sit up from his sleeping place on the floor. Toki huffed at him and rolled her eyes as she leant over a pot of stew. Her husband, Kohroku looked at Ashitaka with a cheeky look on his face as he ate a bread roll.

"Breakfast is served," he grinned, tossing Ashitaka a piece of bread. "You're a deep sleeper, ya know."

Ashitaka yawned and pulled on a light tunic, worn and a slight-off cream with a few stains. It was a few sizes too big, and had once been Kohroku's.

"Late nights working by candlelight does that to you," Toki reminded her husband sourly. "At least Ashitaka is doing work around here."

"Toki, dearest," Kohroku pleaded his head-strong wife. "You know I'm doing all I can, but my leg isn't healed yet. I feel terrible, you know I do."

Toki sighed and grabbed Kohroku's bowl to fill up. "Here," she said, handing him the bowl of hot soup. "Gonza wants to see the men today; you can go down and see what he wants. Or is that too much for you to handle?"

Kohroku sighed. "I'll manage," he grunted. "Isn't it nice to have such a supporting wife, Ashitaka?" he looked around the room for the youth. "Ashitaka?"

Ashitaka emerged from the small side room fastening the strings to his clothes and pulling socks onto his feet. With a hand he brushed the bangs from his eyes and grabbed his boots by the doorway. Kohroku sighed and staggered to stand with the youth, grabbing his crutches from the wall.

"Just you wait, Ashitaka," called the bumbling fool from inside as he struggled down the stairs of their home and to the doorway. "Wait up for me!"

The two men made their way through Iron Town. It had only been two months since construction started again, and after fixing shelter for the citizens, the men of Iron Town were erecting the left wing of the fence in long, strong trunks of the highest trees Ashitaka had ever seen. It was a long process, however – just as they were beginning to start, the days grew so hot it was impossible to work, and then just as it began to cool down again, it began to rain and it was much too hard to work in such sloppy conditions. There was no shortage of man power with the lepers cured of the ailments, and Eboshi's arm was healing well thanks to medicine traded through one of the larger villages beyond the forest.

Gonza the big oaf of a guard was supervising men hoisting up logs to make the fencing. When he spied Ashitaka's approach from the corner of his eye, he grunted and straightened up, jumping down from his platform to greet the two men. He looked to Kohroku with a grunt – he was still hobbling around and little use to anyone in such a state.

"Kohroku," said Gonzo. "We need someone on this afternoon's watch – it's important everyone pulls their weight, even those who are not able-bodied. At least until Iron Town begins to resemble something like a town once again."

Kohroku nodded. "Yes, sir – when do I start?"

"At noon, until nightfall. Ashitaka will relieve you until midnight."

Ashitaka nodded.

Gonza grunted. "When you see the wolf girl again, try to convince her not to attack the village, alright boy?" he huffed. "Last thing we need is those wolves coming back."

Ashitaka frowned. "San," he corrected. "They have their own problems, as do we. Their home was destroyed as well," Ashitaka reminded Gonza acutely.

Gonza only grunted and nodded. He wasn't a big fan of this Ashitaka boy, but he had saved Iron Town and so he tolerated him. Besides, he was quite a good worker, thought the women fawned over him.

Kohroku sighed as Gonza left. "Geez," he said. "Sentry duty again," he muttered and shook his head. "At least it's in the day this time. I always seem to fall asleep at night."

Ashitaka smiled and saw Yakul dodge the hands of some workers wanting him to tow a large pile of logs across the site. Instead, the swift elk evaded all the hands and galloped out the gates and to the hills above to graze on the grass that was growing there.

"It's so boring," Kohroku was still complaining. "I mean, it's alright when you can talk to some of the people coming and going, but at night you can't even see your hands in front of your face let alone an arrow firing towards you." He sighed and looked to his silent companion. "Hey, Ashitaka – what about San, huh? What are you going to do about her?"

Ashitaka looked to Kohroku, "I'll visit her when I find the chance. When things calm down around here."

Kohroku looked around at all the business. "Looks like it might take some time then, huh?"

Ashitaka agreed. "It does."

"I heard she's not really human – that's what lady Eboshi said, anyways. Is that true, Ashitaka?"

Ashitaka shrugged a little as they made their way towards the guard tower that sat reconstructed where the gate for Iron Town would be erected in the coming weeks.

"She was born a human, but her soul belongs to the wolves," Ashitaka replied. "She's neither."

Kohroku made a disapproving noise. "Creepy."

"She and her brothers protect of the forest now." They'd reached the gate and Ashitaka looked out across the lake and into the depths of the Forest of the Gods. "Eboshi believed San would become human when the Spirit of the Forest was killed, but I think she remains just as much wolf as ever, that's why she'll never set foot in this village."

Kohroku looked out to the forest. It was not as spectacular as it had been months ago, but it was still enough to bring a chill to his spine. "You don't know how many of my friends she and her family have killed, Ashitaka. Women have lost husbands because they were trying to trade rice and grains for us to eat. I don't know where we draw the line anymore…," Kohroku sighed. "I just don't."

Ashitaka said nothing. He just sighed.

"Hey?" Kohroku grunted as he grabbed the rails of the wooden ladder to climb the guard tower. "Can you give me a boost up?"

* * *

In the late afternoon, Ashitaka brought Yakul in from the fields. Most of the men had stopped working by mid-afternoon to do domestic things, as the women began making the nights supper so the elk wasn't roped in for work he didn't want to do.

Ashitaka set the elk down in a makeshift stable he had to share with the other horses of the village. It was dry and warm, however, and he often ate the horses feed when the men came around in the evening.

Jigo, the unorthodox monk came in search of Ashitaka, offering a late afternoon supper before the boy relieved Kohroku of his guard duty at sundown.

Jigo had his own modest hut, employing workers from the neighbouring city Shinji to build it for him on account of the large back-log of construction tasks already being handled by the Iron Town men. With that being sad, Jigo's house was spacious and richly furnished – an indicator of his current wealth. He had a large samurai outfit on display, as well as many evocative scrolls hanging from the walls of his most private quarters. He was nothing like the poor travelling monk, these days.

"To tell you the truth, Ashitaka," Jigo said as he prepared dinner. "I didn't have much use for all this stuff. I had gold, but I didn't know what to do with it. I guess everyone's gotta settle down at one point. The Emperor was going to give me a whole lotta money if I did return that God's head to him…"

"And what would you have done with it?" Ashitaka asked, spooning himself a helping of a large stew.

Jigo sighed and nodded, "See that's just it, Ashitaka."

"You had quite a predicament on your hands."

Jigo sighed. "The Emishi people know little of fortune, don't they? Always contented with what they could afford. That's a special quality. It's hard to find men nowadays that aren't greedy beyond their lives."

Ashitaka did not reply to the comment on his past people. The Emishi people were sworn to secrecy, but it seemed this monk already knew a considerable amount about them. He was highly educated, there was no doubt about that.

"Did you spend long with the emperor?" Ashitaka asked. "To know so much?"

"Me? Know a lot?" Jigo scoffed. "I was a monk at the palace. I spent my days reading the scrolls in the libraries, under the eyes of other monks. I was eager for knowledge. When I snuck out of the monasteries and into the city, I found myself learning about… _other_ things." His eyebrows wavered suggestively.

Ashitaka finished the dregs in his bowl.

"Speaking of women – the wolf's daughter, have you heard news about her?"

Ashitaka's ears sprang up. "No," he said. "Have you?"

Jigo shook his head. "Not a peep. The forest is too quiet, you know. It's making the townspeople nervous."

"Kohroku fears an attack."

"Everyone fears an attack. We're sitting ducks here."

Ashitaka shook his head. "They won't come. They are struggling as well."

"Now that the Spirit of the Forest is dead, she must be confused. I heard Eboshi say once she'll turn into a human when the thing died." He slurped loudly on his soup. "Well the thing is dead and she's still out there. She's still the Princess Mononoke, and she'll be that way until she dies."

Ashitaka nodded. "I know."

Jigo made an unsatisfied grunt. "Listen, kid," he said, suddenly serious. "Love ain't easy. It's a real pain in the arse actually. So what if you love her? Things don't always work out. Those brothers of hers will tear you apart. She's a wild thing – but nothing like her brothers. She'll never really be a human either. The place she's in is too grey to consider – not a human, but not a wolf."

Ashitaka said nothing. He just said silently. Jigo continued.

"She'll never forgive us for what we've done. Your human, Ashitaka – what makes you any different to us in her eyes?" he grunted. "Who's side are you on, anyway?"

"Must I be forced to choose a side?"

Jigo shrugged. "Not to me," he said. "I'd still talk to you even if you were a crazed forest man – with my attitude, I can't pick and choose friends. But to those people out there, you're either with or against Iron Town; you can't be both. Sure, they may accept you now, but only because she's not here." Jigo swallowed audibly, finishing off his dinner. "Make no mistake, Ashitaka – this may be a new Iron Town, but it's going to take a lot longer to change the minds of the people. The wolf girl said she can't forgive humans; well, the humans can't ever forgive the wolf girl."

Ashitaka nodded and he understood. "It seems it will take more than a new Iron Town to change the minds of the people."

"It can be hard to convert the non-believers," Jigo advised. Then he looked out the window, to where the sun was lying low on the horizon and the sky was full of brilliant, bleeding reds. "You should go and relieve Kohroku. It's getting late."

Taking leave, Ashitaka slipped out of the monk's house and made his way to relieve Kohroku of his duties. The man struggled down the ladder, but eventually was on his way home, happy to be finished work.

Ashitaka scaled the tower easily, perching atop it in a similar fashion his grandfather had done in his home village. Five moon cycles had passed since that night he had been forced to leave and 'meet his fate'. The last of the Emishi royalty walked from their gates on that night, as his betrothed ran to him and in secrecy, gave him the crystal dagger he'd made for her as a gift – a token of appreciation.

Now that dagger lie strung against San's neck somewhere out in that forest. The sun had dipped under the horizon and it was suddenly very dark. Within Iron Town, the sound of laughing men celebrating the day's work with sake could be heard, and the chatter of women. Ashitaka sighed and shifted more comfortably in his seat, keeping his eyes open and scanning the landscape over and over again.

Many hours had passed. Ashitaka extended his legs to feel them crack and tingle. He was supposed to be relieved when the moon reached the middle of the sky – it was still rather early, and Ashitaka sighed, cracking his neck.

Iron Town had grown silent when drunken men had staggered to bed, weary from the day's work. A few guards walked the streets silently, but there were no disturbances. As had been the norm, recently, Iron Town was dead silent. Ashitaka could almost see why Kohroku would fall asleep on guard duty when it was like this.

Almost.

Something suddenly scratched up the fence, alerting Ashitaka to stand and grab his bow and quiver and hitching an arrow. Peering over the large logs that made up the gate to Iron Town, he couldn't see anything until suddenly a white figure whizzed past his face and leapt up into the air, startling him.

Out of reflex, he pulled back his arrow and followed the figure as it came to land and balance perfectly on top of a wooden point.

The woman smiled devilishly from under her red ceramic war mask. Ashitaka dropped his bow and arrow.

He didn't have a moment to say anything because she leapt to him and on reflex he caught her, hands wrapping under her rear as she clung to him like a monkey and began kissing down his throat. Ashitaka felt his legs weaken instantly and the tower become unstable and sunk to his knees, San straddling his hips and her hands fisting his tunic.

He tried to whisper her name, but it came out in a loud, long groan she chuckled at.

"I thought you said you were going to visit me?" she asked him playfully, sinking her teeth into his neck to nip playfully. "I've been waiting for you, Ashitaka."

"I'm sorry," he grunted out, his eyes screwing shut as she began to move over him. "San, I-,"

"I miss you, Ashitaka," she whispered gently in his ear, pulling back only to take off her mask. In the moonlight, her eyes looked large and yellow, shining hauntingly. Her skin was translucent, shimmering under the moonlit rays. San looked like an unearthly being, one that belonged up with the stars and moon rather than with him.

"You're beautiful," he smiled gently, touching her face and pushing back a small strand of hair from her eyes.

"No more talking," she grinned and kissed him passionately.

She threw her arms around his neck as Ashitaka planted his on her waist. San felt warm and strong under his fingers, though the fabric was a little thin and worn, it had probably once been very rough. He yearned to discover what her skin would feel like beyond the clothing she wore.

His tongue sought out hers, and if she had been a little shocked over the sudden intrusion, she did not show it. In fact, the action seemed to fuel her passion more as she kissed him back feverishly, running her hands through his cropped hair and groaning in the back of her mouth.

The kiss ended and Ashitaka leant forward to kiss down San's throat, letting her lean backwards with his hands supporting her lower back. She moaned into the cool night air as Ashitaka kissed her collarbone and a hand caressed her ribs. She felt her nipples rise into small peaks and something grow warm and tingly down below. Ashitaka began kissing her mouth again.

San panted and groaned, her hands feverishly searching for the ties to Ashitaka's clothes. When she found them, his blue tunic parted and fell around his waist, where his pants were tightly fastened together. The wolf girl grunted in dissatisfaction at the amount of clothes Ashitaka wore, running her hands up and down his bare chest and back, kissing him passionately.

"Touch me," she demanded. Her body was tingling. She didn't know what she wanted; only that she wanted his hands all over. She was on fire. "Touch me, Ashitaka."

His hand had been cradling her head but slowly it began moving down her neck, down her collarbone before it rested on her left breast. Gently, he rubbed his thumb over the mound as an experiment. The reaction was more than encouraging as San moaned and bucked her hips over his. His other hand rested against San's rear, keeping her snugly fitted over a bulge that had appeared.

"Ashitaka," she breathed, pushing him back against the tower wall. Her skirts had been hitched up to the mid-thigh. "I'm ready."

"San," he murmured, kissing her gently. "San, there's so much we need to talk about."

San shook her head. "I'm ready, Ashitaka. I want you."

He was having trouble hearing suddenly. Everything felt far away. San was looking at him, expectantly and he reached out to touch her – touch anything, her face, her cheek, her hair, but he couldn't move his arm from his side.

"Ashitaka," she said, her voice suddenly far away. "I'm ready."

San was growing further away, her expression still expecting an answer. Ashitaka frowned. No. Why was this? Why was San leaving?

"Ashitaka – I said I'm ready to take over your shift!"

Ashitaka bolted back to reality to see the aggravated face of one of the guards peering over the ladder of the guard tower. Ashitaka stumbled to his feet and grabbed his bow and arrow, shamefully aware how tight his pants had suddenly become.

"It's quiet tonight," he muttered as he passed the guard. "You'll have no problems."

"Fall asleep?" grunted the guard.

"Engrossed in the moment," Ashitaka countered shallowly, bowing before quickly descending the ladder and departing the guard tower. The guard sighed and watched the young man depart hastily, before sitting down and scanning over the silent and bare landscape before him.

* * *

Ashitaka staggered back to the small hut he called home. His mouth was dry and his vision was covered in small black spots. Yakul bleated as he walked past, but the Emishi Prince gave him no recognition as he fell to the floor beside a cold fire pit.

For a long time, Ashitaka just stared at the ceiling, studying the beams and the textures of the reed thatched roofing. The dream had felt so real – parts of him were still tingling. He swallowed thickly. San's face was etched into his mind – how she looked under the moonlight and the touch of her skin under his fingers.

How could that have only been a dream?

Sighing, Ashitaka got up and went to grab a drink of water from a bucket, pulling off his clothes in the meantime. It was late, and he was wearied. He went to check on Yakul once more, and satisfied his companion would be comfortable for the night, Ashitaka retired.

He slept well all night, and the sun was well up in the sky by the time he awoke. That was strange – he normally rose with the sun on most mornings. Yet he didn't feel tired, in fact, Ashitaka felt quite refreshed. The smell of food was wafting into the room from the mess halls, prompting him to crawl out of the bed and grab some clothing.

"You're awake," a soft smile greeted him as Ashitaka pulled on a shirt and exited the bedroom. San sat by the fire, stirring a small pot of stew. Rice was cooking on the embers.

Ashitaka blinked. "San?"

San smiled and nodded. "Have a seat, husband – you look at me as if we've just met."

"Sorry," he muttered and did as she said. This was San, but not the same San he knew. This one was wearing clothes like many of the village women, and her hair was long and brown, down to the small of her back. As Ashitaka scanned over her physique, he realised she was heavily pregnant. "Have you been awake long?"

San shook her head. "I thought I'd let you sleep."

He nodded and looked at his shoes. Was this a dream again? How could he be sure – this felt just as real as the last one, but this wasn't San. It looked like San, but it wasn't San – not _his_ San.

"How are your brothers?" he asked lowly.

"My who?" she replied.

"Your brothers," Ashitaka said firmly. "Out in the forest."

San looked at him for a moment and laughed. "Did you fall off the guard tower and hit your head, or something, Ashitaka? I have no brothers – I'm an orphan, you know that."

"Your parents gave you to the great wolf goddess Moro, and she raised you," Ashitaka shook his head. "Your San – the Mononoke Princess."

San shook her head. "I am San," she nodded, "My parents were killed by the wolves, but I'm not a princess. I'd be nice if I were – servants to wait on me all the time," she shook her head and smoothed back her long hair. "But I'm happy with you, Ashitaka."

Ashitaka got to his feet suddenly and ran out of the hut into the bright morning. Squinting, he looked around – this wasn't Iron Town. This village was huge – it looked like the big centres he'd passed through on his travels. The land was flat and stretched out forever, not like the forest where the soil was rich and lush and hills rolled on forever.

Ashitaka looked back to the hut. It was small. There was no stable on the side. There was no Yakul.

He woke himself up with a jump in the middle of the night. Moonlight filtered in from the window, shining off the cold sweat that coated his skin. Ashitaka groaned and pulled himself out of bed. He felt tired and wearied, but he didn't dare go back to sleep. That dream had been suffocating – nothing was as he remembered it, everything was wrong.

His mouth and lips were dry, so he slurped water from the ladle in the bucket. He didn't bother stoking up the fire and preferred to sit in the darkness of his hut for a long time.

Toki was out digging up garden beds when Ashitaka arrived. She had her hair tied back with fabric, but a few strands had slipped through in the morning heat. As the young man approached, Toki gave him a wave and dropped her hoe, fixing up her attire.

"Morning, Ashitaka, nice to see you out this early," she smiled.

"You too, Toki," he replied. "Though I haven't been working as hard as you, it seems."

Toki laughed and looked at the half ploughed garden bed. "True, gardening is a sweaty job. Eboshi says we can't rely on trades with neighbouring villages so we should start growing our own just in case. All of our food stocks caught alight when Iron Town was destroyed."

That had been true. Currently, they were living off a small shipment of rice they'd exchanged for some Iron in the village over the forest. Thankfully, they had not been attacked by wolves on their journey home, though everyone was more or less expecting it.

"You look tired, Ashitaka," Toki pouted at the young man and rubbed the black bags under his eyes with a sweep of her thumb.

"I haven't been sleeping well," he admitted lowly.

"Really?" she asked. "Are you worried about something."

Ashitaka hesitated for a moment. "San," he admitted.

Toki laughed. "A lover's heart," she tutted motherly. "I was the same with Kohroku when he went off to drive the ox. I would not sleep a wink."

Ashitaka shook his head.

"You miss her," Toki sighed. "Go and see her."

"I can't," he shook his head. "There's so much to do."

"One afternoon," Toki promised. "I'll cover for you." She shrugged a little. "Don't worry about what the others say – the heart wants what the heart wants."

Ashitaka managed a smile before he said, "Do you want me to give you a hand, Toki?"

Toki laughed and shook her head. "I'm sure you have other things to do, Ashitaka, like sleeping– besides," she motioned to some women coming up the street all dressed in old clothes and their hair tied up. Over their shoulders they carried various gardening tools. "This is women's work in Iron Town. We don't want the men messing up our gardens, you know."

Ashitaka laughed and conceded. "Alright, don't work too hard."

"No worries, Ashitaka," she smiled. "Hey, you keep an eye out for Yakul – he's been going into the forest, you know."

"The forest?" Ashitaka blinked.

Toki nodded. "I heard one of the girls say this morning in town she's seen him sniffing around the edges."

Ashitaka nodded. "I'll look into it, thank you."

Ashitaka left the women to continue their work, but didn't get too far when an old arrow-maker wanted to know Ashitaka's opinion on a new batch of arrows he'd just constructed, with stones shaped into a point instead of a light iron. That, and a test shot of the arrows took until lunch. When lunch rolled around, he'd just finished eating when Jigo roped him into thatching a roof. That was hard labour under the sun. When the light began to dim, he said his goodbyes to find Yakul before darkness set.

"Yakul!" Ashitaka called out by the gate, scanning the fields that were bathed in the red hue of the setting sun for the elk. "Yakul!"

"Your elk's gone into the forest," a man from the guard tower called to him. "He was sniffing over by the edge – I tried to call him back, but he wouldn't respond. It's dangerous that far out."

Ashitaka nodded and thanked the guard before grabbing his bow and quiver and walking across the fields. He saw some hoof prints from Yakul leading into the forest foliage and slipped into the forest, silently willing his stomach to stop rumbling for dinner.

The forest was serene. Some of the older trees had survived the destruction, and up in their branches were a few kodama, watching Ashitaka's movements with tiny hollow eyes. He smiled at them, but did not stop to speak to them – the sun was rapidly falling and he did not want to become lost in the forest at night.

Time, it seemed, was not on Ashitaka's side. He made his way through the heavy foliage, travelling deeper into the forest in fast-fading light until he couldn't see a hand in front of his face. Ashitaka sighed and pushed further through the forest – there was something ahead, perhaps, a clearing where it looked brighter.

His foot suddenly fell from the hard surface into the lakeside, imbedding deep into the mud that had gathered by the delta. Ashitaka pulled it out with a squelch, stumbling back and out of the foliage into a clear area of a large lake of the clearest water. The moon was bright, and he could see his surroundings well enough to register where he was – the sacred lake.

Ashitaka sighed and sat by the water's edge, cleaning his shoe out of mud in the water. He scanned around, but by no surprise there was no sign of Yakul. He only hope no harm befell the elk on his twilight adventures.

Ashitaka, however, was another matter. He didn't dare brave to walk through the forest in the dark. While where he was, he knew the roundabout way of exiting to the Iron Town side of the forest, but he didn't dare risk get more lost in the dark if his navigation was altered slightly. So that left the only option waiting out until the dawn.

That option did not bode well with his stomach - Ashitaka was hungry.

The only promising thing was that it was a clear, warm night. A fire would attract spirits and animals alike to his presence, which could be more hindering than it was helpful. Of course, he had the change of attracting San, or her brothers, and explaining the situation, but there were things other than San's brothers that would eat him without so much as a second thought if they stumbled upon his campsite.

Ashitaka set his back against a tree trunk and looked into the canopy. It was truly beautiful out here. The forest was quiet, and the moonlight touched the water in a gentle, silver caress making the surface shimmer magically. He remembered what San's skin had looked like under the moon in the dream he'd had last night.

For a long time, Ashitaka remained stationary against the tree trunk just watching the goings on in the midnight forest. Once he would have hoped to see the nightwalker on its nightly trip surveying to forest and surroundings; its head reaching as high as the heavens, but now the only thing that stirred were small monkeys and birds in the trees.

Ashitaka sighed and his eyes moved over the still lake again. It looked like a flat grey sheet. Not a ripple touched the surface. He wondered if he could sleep in such a calm place.

* * *

Check back soon for Part II. I realise I said this would be a one-shot on my page, but I decided it was better to split it in half about here. Please watch this space!

Please remember to leave a quick review before you go - I'm eager to know how you felt about this piece.

~ **Arlia'Devi**


	2. II

_Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke in any respect; all rights go to Hayao Miyazaki and associates. I make no money from this._

Please be warned: this chapter contains a lemon.

**SHE WOLF**

**II.**

By Arlia'Devi

Atop a large boulder that loomed over the sacred lake crouched a young woman peering through the foliage at the man sitting by the tree, far across the lake. He was bathed in the moonlight, and for a moment, San thought him to be injured the way he slouched and remained still. There were never any humans in her forest – not this far deep in, anyway. She was inclined to move, to find if he was alright when the man moved his head and the moonlight hit his face and offered colour to his clothes.

"Ashitaka," San's voice jumped in her throat as she peered up and over the undergrowth, still hidden by the obscurities of the night. She swallowed thickly and her hand loosened its grip of her dagger.

For a long time, she watched Ashitaka from across the lake, hidden like a predator stalking its prey. She wondered what he was doing here – had he come to visit her like he'd promised? She watched as he picked up a flat stone from where he sat and skipped it across the lake. The stone skipped three times before sinking to the muddy bottom.

She watched as Ashitaka sighed and hit his head on the back of the tree trunk. He certainly didn't seem injured, and his eyes scanned the surroundings around him – she could see the white of his eyes in the darkness. She wondered what he was looking for.

_Is he looking for me?_

San took a deep breath before slipping quietly into the water, swimming across the giant lake. The darkness made the water black and murky, though it was usually crystal clear during the day. Nothing lived permanently in the waters. Elk and deer died and sunk to the bottom – there were many skeletons hidden in the mud, but no fish swam through the waters. San broke the surface where her toes could just touch the bottom. She took a small gasp of air and sunk down again, her eyes just above the surface watching Ashitaka. He had not noticed her yet.

San grinned against the water's surface and gently moved towards him, making sure to keep in the shadows. Ashitaka was a good warrior, but she was master of stealth. He would not know she was there until it was too late.

She swam forward in the undergrowth until she was crawling along the bottom of the lake near the shoreline. San grinned. From this position, she could attack Ashitaka without him even noticing. But that wasn't her plan. She didn't know what her plan was, but that wasn't it. All she knew was that she didn't want to be in the shadows anymore.

Ashitaka felt drowsy. _Blissfully_ drowsy. Sleep had been evading him recently, and the tranquillity of the forest was lulling him to sleep. Though the tree was not particularly comfortable, he was about to let out a loud yawn when the sound of his name echoing throughout the clearing snapped him to attention.

"Ashitaka."

Ashitaka bolted up. The sound of his name was buzzing in his ears. In the water, about knee deep, was a being walking towards him. Her white gown clung to her body, and she was smiling. Moonlight bathed her body, shimmering off her slick golden skin. When she reached the shoreline, he was amazed flowers did not spring up from the ground and then die again, for he was sure she was the new spirit of the forest – someone could not be as ethereal as her.

"San," his voice sounded rough, even to his own ears.

She frowned. "Why have you not come to visit me?" she demanded, fire sparking behind her brown eyes. She shoved him with her hand.

"Iron Town… has been a lot of work," he muttered, unsure what to say. He tried looking down to hide his shame but found that to be a very idea when he realised San's garments had become translucent from the water. He snapped his head up and was met with her fiery eyes once again.

"Yakul's missing… he ran into the forest. It got dark before I could find him," he motioned to the tree he had been sitting on. "I decided to wait until daybreak or else I'd get lost,"

San thought about this for a moment, her eyes scanning around the landscape.

"Yakul likes to merge with a group of deer that live in the forest – he finds all the best mushrooms with them," she said. "That's why he comes out of the forest when you call him sometimes."

Ashitaka grinned. "I was never worried. I am not worried."

There was a silence between them for a moment. San's hair was sticking to the sides of her face and the red ochre that stained her cheeks was running. Gently, Ashitaka raised a hand and rubbed a smudge away. San grinned and touched her jawline self-consciously.

"How are your brothers?" he asked.

"Fine," she gave the simple response. She was looking into his eyes. Ashitaka cleared his throat in an attempt to break the silence.

"And you?"

"Fine," was her automated response. "And you, Ashitaka – how are you?"

"Fine, too, I guess."

"You guess?" she looked at him quizzically.

He tried to find the words to say that he wasn't really fine and that he'd missed her and that it had gotten to the point that he'd been having trouble sleeping, but the words didn't seem to come out. When he finally gave up, she was looking at him strangely and he sighed.

"You look beautiful," he gave up.

Unlike the first time he had told her that, she didn't reel back in shock. Instead, San took the few steps towards his body, shuffling in to embrace him. He felt the water from her clothes leech into his until he could feel the chilly water on the sensitive skin of his stomach.

"I missed you, Ashitaka," she whispered against his neck. The warmth of her breath was a startling contrast. It sent shivers down his spine.

"I missed you too, San," he murmured into the top of her damp hair. "More than you know."

She smiled against his collarbone. He was warm and she didn't want to let go. The water had made her cold, colder than she liked to admit and maybe it had been a bad idea to try and sneak up on him like that. Or maybe, since he was holding her like this, it had been a good idea. Whatever the reason, San didn't want him to let go.

"Don't let go," she murmured.

"You want me to hold you?" he asked. She nodded against his neck. "Can we sit down?" she nodded again and felt Ashitaka pull her down with him as they leant against the tree trunk.

For a long time, Ashitaka stared at the moon through the canopy. His fingers gently trailed around San's nape and jawline. She didn't seem to mind as she leant on his chest, feeling the texture of the fabric between his fingers and rummaging through his pockets. She found a sack full of small nuts, a dagger she tossed away, a piece of paper with something written on it she couldn't understand. She threw it away. She felt Ashitaka take a deep breath, her head falling up and down with his chest.

Suddenly she crawled up his body, using one hand on his chest to anchor herself and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Ashitaka's hand quickly went up to hold the back of her head as he felt San pull away, lengthening the duration of the kiss. When she broke away, she was panting.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I see people do it at Iron Town."

"You come to Iron Town?"

San nodded. "I keep out of sight in the tree line. Not even you have realised I've been there. I watch enough."

Ashitaka shook his head incredulously. "Why didn't you come to see me?"

She buried her head in his neck then. "I almost did. A few nights ago you were sitting on top of the wall. You fell asleep, and I wanted to be there when you awoke."

"Then someone came to change places," he replied.

"Yes."

"Do you feel like that a lot?"

"Like what?" she frowned.

"That you want to see me wake up?"

She hummed against his collarbone and the vibrations felt strange. "Do you want to see me wake up?"

"Almost every day."

She crawled up his body then and looked him in the eyes. Ashitaka anchored his hand against the junction of her jaw and neck, feeling San lean into his touch.

He kissed her roughly, feeling her front teeth against his lips and she responded eagerly, something animalistic bursting within her. San growled against his mouth, caught his bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled on it. Ashitaka fisted her hair, feeling its softness between the callouses of his fingers and knew he could never let this woman go.

Her body was wet and cool, a balm against the heat that was beginning to spark between them. Ashitaka felt his back collide roughly with the tree trunk as San pushed him back, throwing one leg over his lips to straddle him before her lips met his again in hot, rough clashes of tongue, teeth and lips.

San's skin was cool and her damp dress clung to her body, sticking like a second skin. Her skin in all the untouched places was incredibly smooth and soft, just like any woman. The skin of her lower back, as Ashitaka's hand manoeuvred itself under her robes, was divine to touch and stroke. When he traced a gentle finger up San's spine she arched and whimpered into his lips. With a quick flick of his wrist, Ashitaka pulled San's dress off her shoulders, letting it fall into a damp heap on the soil by the tree trunk.

San whimpered as Ashitaka's hand fell to caress her taut stomach, feeling his feathery touches tickle her ribs and then he rose higher, to the small breasts with the beaded rosy nipples. San whimpered and kissed him, allowing the strange sensation of his tongue slipping between her teeth to touch her own. San rose to her knees, leaning over Ashitaka, one hand fisting his hair and the base of his neck as she devoured him.

He broke the kiss, panting and looked up into her eyes – her beautiful wild eyes. The moon was filtering down above them, the light like a halo against her hair. For a moment he was awestruck and wanted to say something, something from his heart to validate his affections for her, but his mouth was dry and his throat was tight. San's gaze didn't waver from Ashitaka's and gently, after a while of silence, she said simply,

"I have no need for expressions of human love, Ashitaka."

He gave a whisper of a smile, like he should have known better and kissed her again, pulling her down into his lap and his other hand tracing up and down her spine again. San's deft hands went to his tunic and were able to quickly discard it, letting it fall near her soiled dress.

What could she need then? What could he show her that validated his love for her? He wanted more than anything to be with her. San was feverishly kissing down his neck in clashes of lips and teeth. Everything she did was rough and violent, and she loved it when he scuffed her crop of hair in his hands. But what did she want from him tonight? Did she want this?

"San," he grunted gently, shuffling against the tree trunk.

San growled in response, biting down on Ashitaka's earlobe. The youth screwed his eyes shut and stifled a groan. The apex of his pants was growing considerably tighter and the subtle shifting of San's groin against his was not helping.

He guided her lips back to his and kissed her passionately, drugging, trying to slow down this process. Everything was happening so quickly and his blood felt like it was on fire running through his veins. If only he could slow her down – he needed this haze of lust to clear his head.

He trailed his lips down San's neck and jawline, kissing up and down her collarbone as she moaned gently into the evening air and intertwined her fingers into his hair. Her skin was damp at tasted like the water from the lake, but salty at the same time. He grabbed her hips and pushed her against him, so she sat snug in his lap before descending lower.

San shrieked as Ashitaka trailed his hot, wet lips lower before capturing a pert nipple between his teeth and biting down on it gently.

She couldn't take it anymore. With a gruff grunt she ripped herself away from Ashitaka's grasp and pushed his back against the tree trunk with an audible huff from the man under her. Like her body, her eyes were on fire, dancing against his. She looked wild. She looked like an animal and Ashitaka loved it. He loved her.

"Stay with me forever," he demanded. A hand reached up and roughly caressed her jaw. "Be mine."

She panted heavily, her chest rising and falling.

"Then make me yours," she replied lowly. "Prove it to me."

In a split second San was suddenly pressed against the cool grass of the bank, her body thrown down roughly and an 'oof' escaping from San's lips. Ashitaka wasn't trying to slow this down any longer. If she wanted it this way - hot and heated and _animalistic_ – then she would get it her way.

Resting his weight on one hand, Ashitaka quickly untied the fastening to his pants before kicking them off and settling on top of San. He kissed her fiercely, one hand fisting into the short crop of hair.

"You want to do this here?" he grunted against her skin. "In the Open."

"In front of the great gods – show them that you're worthy," she cried out and arched her back as Ashitaka's mouth descended a hot wet line of open mouthed kisses down to her navel. His hands gently ran down the tops of her thighs, then to her knees before catching her calves and hoisting her legs around his waist.

He crawled back up her body, a hand caressing over her breast, then ribs to her navel. San whimpered and rolled her hips, her fingernails digging into Ashitaka's forearm. Ashitaka's fingers dipped a little lower, to touch her centre. She was slick and smooth and warm and San let out a guttural cry when he touched her there, so he lingered, rubbing it in small circles and observing the moves and sounds he managed to pull out of her.

She was panting when he moved away, trailing his wet fingers up her stomach and leaving a snail-like mark of translucent liquid that shone under the moonlight. She growled at his actions, running her hands down his back and digging the nails in. She didn't know what she wanted, all she knew was that her body was running hot and she had not wanted him to stop what he was doing.

With a grunt, San pushed Ashitaka away from her and crawled to her hands and knees.

"Ashitaka," she whimpered, her back rising and falling with her panting breath.

"No," Ashitaka grunted and grasped San's ankle, forcing her to crawl backwards awkwardly. She rolled onto her back again with a sigh and looked up into Ashitaka's eyes. "I want you like this," he said gently and kissed her. The fever was gone and now what was left was something beautiful and sweet. San whimpered against Ashitaka's lips. "I want to see you when we come together."

San hitched her legs against Ashitaka's hips, feeling him jump at the contact when the tip of his member touched her centre. He took a shaky breath and anchored his hand on a elevated hip and thigh before guiding himself to her entrance and slowly pushing in.

The sensation was instantaneous. San arched her back and cried out, both in carnal pleasure and pain. It was burning through her and she thrashed about, buckling her hips and throwing her head back. When Ashitaka began to slowly retract his hips and pull out, San howled, clawing at his lower back.

Ashitaka's other hand was fisted in San's hair as he inched his way into her. He stifled a groan, though San was crying out and raking her fingernails down his body. God, if she kept this up, he was going to explode sooner rather than later. She was so tight and slippery; he had to stop for a moment when he was fully sheathed, just to come back to himself once again.

She whimpered his name and arched her hips into him, rolling them against his pelvis. Slowly, Ashitaka slipped out, eliciting a hiss and a cry from his woman once again before inching back in.

"Ah, Ashitaka!" she cried. "I can't take it anymore."

He faltered. "D-do you want me to stop?"

"No!" she howled, pulling him onto her. "No, don't stop."

She didn't want him to stop, and he couldn't hold out much longer so he went all for broke, moving his hips rapidly and screwing his eyes shut. The feeling was too much – way too much and he knew he was losing control of himself. San shrieked out, arching her back. One hand was fisted in his hair and the other dug into the bank of the ethereal lakeside. Ashitaka couldn't help it anymore – he exploded.

With a cry, he buckled. He saw stars behind his eyes and his veins felt like they were on fire. His whole body was on fire and it was fantastic. This was fantastic. San was fantastic.

When he drifted down, he realised he was lying between the valley of San's breasts, his head bobbing up and down with her laboured breathing.

"Sorry," he croaked, hoisting himself up with wobbly limbs. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No," she replied gently. A hand caressed Ashitaka's shoulders and neck, twining around the ends of his hair. "I'm happy to finally be yours. It's what I wanted."

He nodded and swallowed gently. His mind was still fuzzy and he was very tired.

"I'm glad to be yours, San," he whispered gently and leaned forward to kiss her.

And then there was nothing. He fell asleep.

* * *

The morning was warm, which was strange. He remembered the mornings in the forest to be bitter –the night's temperature dropped harshely and the morning sun barely cut through the canopy to warm the air. And yet, it was warm. Warm and soft.

Ashitaka groaned and stretched his legs, feeling them stick out into the cold air before quickly curling them against his body again. With a grunt and a groan, he awoke, opening his eyes to see San sleeping by his side – naked, with fur covering her body.

Fur. Ashitaka looked at their bedding. He had sworn he'd draped his thatched armour over their bodies, along with San's dress for warmth and comfort. Yet, here was a downy blanket of crisp white fur. His thatched armour was thrown haphazardly on top.

Ashitaka grunted and rolled over, careful not to disturb San. The wolf princess simply sighed in her sleep, shifting slightly to accommodate his movements but didn't look to be waking up soon.

Ashitaka rolled to his left to see Yakul calmly eating grass near a tree on the lake's edge.

"Now you show up!" he hissed at the elk, leaning forward a little to swipe his clothes that rest an arm's length away. The elk snorted and pushed his ears back as a response and focused on eating.

When Ashitaka rolled back over and under the white furs, San was awake. Staring at him, flushed against white with those big, round brown eyes, Ashitaka offered her a dopy smile.

"Good morning," Ashitaka whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace of the moment and setting with his voice.

"Ashitaka…," San replied equally as shallowly. She snuggled deeper into the furs and seemed content on remaining still, at least for the moment. "My brothers have found us." He supposed she meant the fur.

"I like it," he said gently. "It's lovely."

San looked over his shoulder then, to Yakul, who had approached them and was nuzzling the side of Ashitaka's face.

"He found us, too," San remarked, reaching up to scratch the elk on the nose.

"Somehow I think he always knew where we were," Ashitaka smiled and gave a suspicious look to the elk. "Didn't you, Yakul?"

The elk snorted against Ashitaka's hair and he cried out and tried to rub it out. San laughed.

The End.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who was patient with this update. I know I promised this update to be a few weeks earlier, but really, you have to be in the right kind of inspiration to write a lemon like this, and I just didn't have it for a few weeks. Anyway, better late than never.

Thank you to all those people who reviewed the first chapter, I hope you liked it – and this story is now complete! Please leave a quick **review** before you go! I appreciate the time you take.

~ **Arlia'Devi.**


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